Las Megas | Tesla Megablock Event

The path to fully autonomous vehicles is lined with many milestones, and each comes with its own set of challenges. As Tesla, under the watchful and ambitious eye of Elon Musk, traverses this path, it continues to hit and surmount these milestones. However, the final destination — a world where cars are completely autonomous, able to navigate the complexities of human-built environments without any human input — still lies in the future. How far into the future is anyone's guess. But with every passing day, as Tesla's Full Self-Driving System evolves and improves, that future gets a little bit closer.

29 Juni 202310min

It has been three years since the seismic Twitter hack of 2020 erupted on the digital horizon, ensnaring global tech giants and ordinary users alike. But this year, justice caught up with one of the hackers responsible, Joseph James O'Connor, in a compelling example of how cybercrime carries real-world consequences. A New York federal court has sentenced O'Connor, 24, a UK citizen infamously known online as "PlugWalkJoe," to five years in prison. The sentence comes after O'Connor pleaded guilty in May to an array of charges, including computer hacking, wire fraud, and cyberstalking. The digital heist, among the most conspicuous in recent memory, played out like a high-stakes thriller, unfurling in real-time before millions of Twitter users worldwide. And the consequences of O'Connor's actions? Significant enough to make him agree to forfeit a minimum of $794,000 to the victims of his cybercrimes.

28 Juni 20236min

Tesla’s ability to adopt offbeat strategies and novel manufacturing solutions, both within its factories and throughout its vehicle designs, has seemingly outstripped Toyota’s long-established prowess. However, according to Yoshio Nakamura, Toyota’s deputy chief of global production, the story may be set for an exciting plot twist. In a recent conversation with Automotive News, Nakamura expressed a sincere admiration for Tesla’s disruptive technology. Rather than regarding it as a threat, he views this innovative advantage as a source of inspiration, a motivational challenge for Toyota to roll up its sleeves and claw back lost ground. Nakamura, however, is quick to clarify that this will not result in an outright mimicry of Tesla’s success. “Of course, we admit Tesla has wonderful technology. But that just motivates us to work harder to catch up. If we are to learn from them, it won’t be a copy. We will improve upon them through kaizen,” Nakamura stated, alluding to the Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement, one that has been integral to Toyota's success over the years. There’s an undeniable shift in the winds of the automotive industry, spurred on by the audacious startups that have embraced the electric vehicle movement with open arms. Free from the burden of legacy technologies and outdated supply chains, these nimble newcomers have proved that they can produce and sell electric vehicles at scale and profitably. This includes Tesla, whose Model 3 and Model Y have solidified their positions as best-sellers in the electric market. This seismic shift could well be christened as the “Tesla Shock.” According to industry insiders, the effects of this shock were felt most acutely by Toyota, especially when Tesla’s Model Y dethroned the once ubiquitous Toyota Corolla as the world’s best-selling car in Q1 2023.

27 Juni 20238min

The Starship: Pioneering Low Earth Orbit Travel and Habitation A key part of the Starship's mission portfolio is transporting humans to LEO, while also doubling as an orbiting space station akin to the ISS. This dual functionality has led to inevitable comparisons between the two. While similar in size, with the ISS having an internal pressurized volume of around 915 cubic meters, there are considerable differences in their roles and design principles. The ISS is a multinational space research facility, able to accommodate six crew members, and plays a vital role in conducting experiments in microgravity. In contrast, the Starship, while capable of similar LEO operations, is intended to be much more — a vessel for pioneering deep space travel. https://youtube.com/@spacenewspod

26 Juni 202330min

An intricate dance of preparation and testing is unfolding at SpaceX's South Texas facilities. To ready Ship 25 for its star turn in the next integrated flight test, the teams have thrown themselves into a thorough engine test campaign. They're leaving no stone unturned, from a spin prime test all the way to a six-engine static fire test of the ship's formidable Raptor engines. Learning from the first flight's successes and challenges, the engineers have made tweaks to the ship's engine shielding and internal tank structure. Using the robust SpaceX LR11000 crane for additional support to the tanks during the alterations, they've ensured the vehicle is primed for testing. Upon completing the necessary modifications, the engineers removed the crane and freed the aft flaps. The stage was then set for the spin prime test on June 14, where propellants were loaded onto the ship. The process simulates the start-up sequence of the engine, spinning the engine oxidizer pump to full power — minus the actual ignition. This sequence is expected to repeat several times before moving onto the static fire tests. If all goes according to plan, the ship's engines should soon get the green light for flight, an important marker on the path to the second integrated test flight.

25 Juni 20236min

On a momentous Tuesday, Tesla Inc. (TSLA.O) turned the tides in favor of its charging technology with a series of pivotal victories. It culminated with the announcement from Texas—the new home for Tesla's headquarters and car manufacturing complex—declaring its mandate to incorporate Tesla's charging standard alongside the nationally recognized Combined Charging System (CCS). The state-level decision is a significant nod to Elon Musk's dream of making Tesla's charging technology a nationwide standard. News agency Reuters was the first to break the news that Rivian, an electric pickup truck manufacturer, and BTC Power, a renowned charger maker, were endorsing Tesla's standard. This remarkable support followed the earlier decisions by automotive giants GM (GM.N) and Ford (F.N) to incorporate Tesla's charging technology, defying the Biden administration's drive to make the CCS a dominant charging standard in the United States. Texas, the backdrop for Tesla's sprawling new factory and corporate headquarters, is the first state to mandate Tesla's charging technology. The move significantly bolsters Musk's ambitious vision of his charging standard gaining national acceptance. The Texas Department of Transportation said in an email to Reuters on Tuesday, "The decision by Ford, GM, and now Rivian to adopt NACS changed requirements for Phase 1." The statement was referring to the rollout that would necessitate the direct current fast chargers to have one CCS and one North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector. Lew Cox, director of business development at MD7, a firm that aids in the deployment of chargers, predicts that Texas's decision could heavily influence other states to adopt Tesla's NACS. He opines, "It'll effectively make an NACS the new charging standard." A Texas-sized Validation

24 Juni 20236min

Australia's cyber watchdog, the eSafety Commissioner, has issued an official notice to Twitter, the microblogging platform now owned by billionaire Elon Musk, seeking clarity on how the social media giant is addressing online hate speech and abuse. Since Musk lifted the ban on 62,000 previously blocked accounts, Twitter has seen a dramatic surge in complaints, making it Australia's most complained-about platform. The eSafety Commissioner, headed by Julie Inman Grant, is ramping up its campaign to hold Twitter accountable. The latest demand from the regulator came after Twitter became the platform with the most complaints related to online hate, exceeding those against Facebook, Instagram, and even TikTok, despite having significantly fewer users in Australia. Inman Grant, in her statement, accused Twitter of falling short in managing online hate. Her claims stem from Musk’s controversial decision to reinstate a reported 62,000 banned accounts, some of which belong to individuals known to propagate Nazi ideologies. Musk, who purchased the platform for $44 billion in October, promised a commitment to free speech, which many perceive as the root of the current issue.

23 Juni 20236min

The electric vehicle (EV) sector experienced a significant shift on Tuesday as Rivian, an American automaker specializing in electric pickup trucks and SUVs, confirmed its decision to adopt Tesla's proprietary charging standard. This watershed moment propels Rivian’s customers onto the largest EV charging network in the United States and augments Tesla's aspiration to establish a universally adopted industry standard. Rivian, with its roots firmly planted in Illinois, projected that its patrons would enjoy access to a whopping 12,000 Tesla Superchargers sprinkled across the US and Canada starting in the spring of 2024. This compatibility would require adapters in the initial phase. Additionally, the automaker has planned a progression towards incorporating a Tesla-style charging port as standard on its vehicles by the year 2025, replacing its current proprietary technology. Currently, Rivian operates a modest network of its own fast-charging stations. However, the allure of Tesla’s connector, touted for its compactness and extensive infrastructure, has led Rivian's leadership to this strategic pivot. "We see a golden opportunity to capitalize on the charging infrastructure that Tesla has painstakingly built," Rivian CEO, RJ Scaringe, revealed in an interview with Reuters. This alliance with Tesla forms part of a recent trend that has seen several automakers and charging infrastructure providers choosing to adopt Tesla's charging standard. On the same day as Rivian's announcement, BTC Power, a major player in EV charging solutions, declared its plan to integrate Tesla's standard into its portfolio. The government of Texas echoed this sentiment, mandating state-funded charging stations to incorporate Tesla's plug. At the same time, Korean automaker Hyundai Motor is contemplating a more significant alignment of its vehicles with Tesla’s standard.

22 Juni 20238min